Thursday, August 6, 2009

So in my last post about Paris, I said that I hadn't done as many foodie things as I may have wanted. But I did have the single most amazing experience with French Toast I have ever had. I can't take much of the credit, however. When you're working with a loaf of brioche from the famed Eric Kayser boulangerie (which just happened to be right on my way home from the Louvre), along with fresh strawberries and basil from marché Rue Monge, it's hard to mess it up. This is a little different than my usual french bread, because I wanted to buy as few ingredients as possible. That means no cinnamon, no vanilla, and no corn starch to help thicken the sauce. But trust me, you won't miss any of those things.

So even if I didn't make the time to go into all of the amazing food shops I saw, I did take some pictures. At one point, I treated myself to a big hunk of nougat, like you see in the picture below. I tried to space it out over a couple of days, but willpower has never been one of my strengths.

Can you see our reflections in the window? More importantly, notice those bite-sized canelé at the bottom? I have a feeling a crust like doesn't just happen. Wish I had the extra money for a couple of those famed copper molds.

These next two are from this crazy flower shop that I walked by every day. Outside, there were always perched a handful of elderly, usually kind of drunk Parisians, sipping wine, or something harder. If you slowed your gait enough to get a look inside the flower shop, you'd see that the entire room was piled to the ceiling with flowers, stuffed animals, pots, feathers and other sundry. It looked as though a narrow path had been precariously carved into the drifts of stuff.

And finally, one shot of the Petit Palais from the inner garden. Most of the museum was closed for a re-hang, but there were plenty of Courbets still on view.

Whisk together the orange juice, the eggs and the milk. Slice the bread into however many slices of toast you'd like to eat. Dip each slice into the milk mixture and let it sit to absorb the milk for about 5 minutes. Turn once to get both sides wet. Heat oil in a pan, and fry each slice of toast for a couple of minutes on each side. Serve with Fresh Strawberry Basil Sauce (follows)

For the strawberry basil sauce

2 pints fresh strawberries

8 leaves fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

Put all of the ingredients into a pot and boil until it reaches your desired consistency. Serve over toast.